Tumblr favored over Facebook for 13- to 25-year-olds

By Gavin

While Facebook is still a strong presence, for many youth and young adults, it no longer dominates the social media network. Where are they going? You'll likely find this demographic on places like Instagram and Tumblr. In fact, according to some sample research, Tumblr has overtaken Facebook as the primary social network for people ages 13 to 25.

So, what is Tumblr?

Tumblr is a micro-blogging social network. The platform gives users the options to make blog postings in quick and easy bursts using images, videos, text, links, quotes and more.

Using Tumblr as a social network, you can connect to friends or keep up with topic blogs. The process for getting started, designing, posting and following is easy, a definite plus. A bonus of Tumblr is that many other social-media platforms, such as Instagram, will allow you to post straight to your Tumblr blog. A Tumblr blog can feed into other social networks as well. So go ahead and post to Tumblr. Watch it post to Facebook, Twitter or other networks for you.

Why do young people flock to Tumblr? Some start a public stream-of-thought diary. Others may keep their Tumblr blog private. Young people can easily follow the blogs of friends to keep connected. Celebrity Tumblrs might interest young people. The Tumblr app allows for quick posting via the smartphone, which is quickly becoming the primary tech tool for young people. Did we also mention that Tumblr is free, with pay options for premium themes and services?

As groups continue to connect on Tumblr, it likely will gain popularity.

What benefit does Tumblr present to the church?

Easy setup and use as well as the micro-blogging ethos of Tumblr make it a natural option for short series of church conversations or events. Here are some blog site ideas to consider.

Small-group interaction – Have a small-group extension of the relationship building in the group. Post family photos, life-stage events and prayer requests.

Church work – For mission projects, use Tumblr as a tool to track needs and communicate with each other.

Age-level ministries – Start a youth group or children's ministry Tumblr blog for children, youth and parents to follow.

You can imagine the Tumblr applications beyond the congregation. People connecting with your stories on the Tumblr social network will see Christ's followers doing God's work. What a wonderful outreach!

Not sure about Tumblr? Give it a spin. It is quick and easy to set up. You just might be on the front end of the next trend in social networking!